


Lashing in Leather

by MysteryPines



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Late Night Conversations, M/M, Missing Adrien, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:21:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22647817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysteryPines/pseuds/MysteryPines
Summary: After a month of depression and searching for his lost son Gabriel Agreste wishes to get out of the house for a night out in town. While looking for Adrien, and the company of another, Gabriel never expected to run into the Guardian of the Miraculous in the park. Nor did he expect to feel so comfortable talking to the old man where the conversations turn into a borderline-therapy session on a park bench.
Relationships: Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth & Master Fu, Gabriel Agreste/Male Character
Kudos: 4





	Lashing in Leather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a one-shot yet my dumb procrastinating butt waited too late to break writer's block that it had to be split into a two parter. Oh and the mature rating will be for the end of chapter 2. For now everything else is kind of general.

Tears stung the corners of Adrien's eyes as he gingerly placed a note on his father's desk. A note stating what he's going to do and why. A why Adrien himself isn't so sure if his father would understand or not. But a why that needed to be told anyways, comprehension or no.

Plagg appeared next to his human. Solemn and conflicted at the notion of his miraculous wielder's plan.

"I've packed as much Camembert as I could Adrien," the Kwami said. "And I added a few other things I thought you might want in your suitcase. Keepsakes and such."

"Thank you, Plagg," replied a quiet Adrien.

He was staring up at the portrait of his mother behind his father's desk. Beautifully enraptured in golds with an oriental vibe on his otherwise golden haired Parisian mother. Forever still and silent, an almost mocking reminder of Emilie Agreste's absence in the manor.

A lump formed in Adrien's throat as his breath grew slightly uneven. He drank in the image of the magnificent portrait as much as he could, not knowing if he would ever see it again.

Plagg flew close to Adrien until the Kwami was able to situate himself on the teenager's shoulder. 

"Adrien," Plagg started, cautiously, "are you sure you want to do this?"

Adrien swallowed thickly, clenching his eyes shut in attempt to calm himself. Still, only a nod was managed in response.

Plagg engaged in an argument he knew fully well was fruitless. He tried anyway to say he said something in the near future. What the Kwami said about "safety" and "shelter" didn't completely fall upon def ears, but Adrien didn't want to discuss the cons at the moment. Adrien reminds Plagg that he's doing this for the protection of his friends and Plagg himself and that got the Kwami to shut up for a while. If not out of melancholy appreciation for his miraculous holder then of the low sorrowful tone Adrien had spoke in.

There was no more input from either of them as they readied themselves to leave.

It was midnight when they left the mansion and into the cold drizzling night of Paris. They paused once at the gate to look back at the life they were leaving behind. Tears, silent and indistinguishable beneath the light rain, were shed.

The human and the tiny mystical feline on his shoulder shared a look of understanding together. Its just going to be them two from now on. And then they were gone.

It was only a few hours later Gabriel Agreste found his son's note in his office.

Nooroo, the Kwami of his Butterfly Miraculous, had woken him up at two in the morning. A groggy Gabriel was angry at rising at such an early hour until he realized Nooroo's distress. Gabriel became fully alert and had his Kwami direct him towards the problem. 

When he found the note sitting neatly at the corner of his desk no words could have described the pain he felt in his heart. His own throat could barely make a sound as he felt reality slipping. On fallen knees and clutching his head in his hands, Gabriel found his voice and let out a bone chattering scream of despair, startling Nooroo and waking up Natalie.

**One Month Later**

Gabriel and Natalie didn't receive very much luck in finding Adrien during this time. 

They both knew the news of Adrien Agreste having gone missing wouldn't escape the public attention. They took it to their advantage by not only recruiting all Paris to participate in the search but enhancing their assistance by akumatizing those in the throes of sadness in doing so. Most of them were done under the guise of needing to find Cat Noir, whom, as stated by Ladybug, is currently with Adrien for protection (a certain weight that no one would ever know lifted off of Gabriel Agreste's shoulders first hearing about that) while on the run.

To their shocking discovery even with all of Paris keeping their eyes out for Adrien Agreste, and the weekly average of four akumatized participants' aide, he still has not been found yet.

Gabriel and Natalie feared the worst yet never gave up hope that Adrien was still out there. Still alive somewhere if not in Paris then maybe the next town over. Or even England.

No they never gave up hope. Adrien needed to be brought back home. He _has_ to come back home. 

However, hope didn't lessen the pain anymore than the searches. Neither bared results. And neither have so far brought Gabriel's precious son back.

With all of this going on Gabriel still somehow managed to keep up with his work as a fashion designer. I say "somehow" because even though it looks like Gabriel is trying to drown out his sorrows into his workaholic nature the truth is he's just barely keeping up with it. The passion he harbored for his line of work was dwindling, and it's starting to show as a fashion designer and as Hawkmoth.

He doesn't have much a care for who he akumatizes or what they do. Ladybug and her new partner's victories don't even phase him. Gabriel was becoming numb over time, and that _definitely_ shows.

Soon enough it became even harder for the Agreste to even get out of bed in the morning. Natalie would bring him breakfast in bed and Nooroo would keep him company, though. Gestures that even in his current debilitating state made him love them even more. Love that he wished would have been enough for him but did little to nothing to help endure the dull ache that spread from his heart to the rest of his body.

After some time passed by Gabriel isn't really sure when he started sleeping in his son's room but Nooroo and Natalie never said anything to him. They wouldn't know how to approach him about it anyways, nor instigate a debate their master wasn't emotionally ready for.

The need to be close to his lost son in anyway possible took over his entire routine. Thus he spent an unusual amount of time beside Emilie's casket beneath the mansion. Then the fashion designer would lay beneath the covers for as long as he could before he knew Natalie would drag him by the feet to get work done, which he tries to do in Adrien's bedroom with varying results. Any meetings and "appearances" he had to make were done through the usual of Natalie making the physical appearance while Gabriel spoke through her tablet except his monotone deliveries were cranked up to eleven.

Pretty soon, and much to Gabriel's horror, he found his drive to wake up his comatose wife dissipating. This scare became a catalyst for the fashion designer to not only continue the hard search for his son but sparked a desire to be out in the city, to escape this prison of vulnerability he'd once kicked to the curb many years ago.

With a heavy sigh, Gabriel begrudgingly washed the styling product he usually wore out of his hair in the bathroom sink. He dried his graying blond hair on a crisp white fluffy towel that felt comforting on his tired face. The Butterfly Miraculous holder replaced the towel neatly folded on it's respective rack next to the shower and then brush his hair to the side with his fingers.

Once he was satisfied with the style, Gabriel looked at his reflection. Processing his image like he couldn't believe he is actually going through with this plan. Meanwhile a slither of excitement traveled down his spine in guilty anticipation.

The tight black leather bound to his skin exhibited the strength in his muscles yet exquisitely accented his otherwise lithe body. His usual glasses were switched with sunglasses-despite it being night time. All the more important to keep himself hidden.

With one last look over his attire Gabriel slowly backs away from the mirror and out of the bathroom.

Natalie waited in the bedroom leaning beside the bathroom door. She watched her boss with somber observation as Gabriel strode across the room making his way towards the bedside table grabs a few items from the drawer before closing and leaving the master bedroom. Natalie was never noticed by the man, she trails after him as he made the rather lengthy walk towards an elevator that lead to the garage.

Once they've reached below ground level the automated doors opened to release them. There was a line of hooked keys hanging right by the door, each label had unique tags with different colors representing the type of vehicle it belonged to. The lettering was too cryptic, not to mention short, to be the license plate number for each key.

Gabriel browsed down the line, his index finger pointing out each key until he settled on a red one that said "AW3" on the side. Then he went over to a cabinet containing helmets of various designs and picked up one marked with a blue and white target over it.

"Gabriel," an antsy Natalie broke the silence, barely keeping herself from blurting out, "are you positive you wish to go out this time of night? You look like _him_. Does it not bother you?"

The fashion designer merely sighed. He tucked the helmet under his arm as he turned towards his long time friend.

"Looking at it from a particular point of view may seem like an unhealthy way of coping with loss," murmurs Gabriel, "to remind myself of a darker time in life. My time of confusion and manipulation. But I knew how to deal during those times. And despite my animosity towards _him_...he, especially Alex, never made feel like dying as much as I do now."

"Besides," he adds, "if I manage to find Adrien I can finally bring him home. Staying in the mansion won't do me or my son any good."

"Meaning," Natalie drawled out with caution in her tone, "you're planning on making this a recurring thing?"

Gabriel nods.

"Don't worry," he says as he places a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back. Maybe some time tonight or early in the morning."

Natalie nods in return as Gabriel turns away and steps towards his imported red Harley-Davidson. He swung a leg over the seat of the motorcycle and brought it to life with the twist of the key.

"Oh," the fashion designer looked back to Natalie, "and make sure our Kwami don't go midnight snacking again. They managed to attract a rat the last time."

"Of course, sir," Natalie affirmed curtly.

Gabriel let small genuine smile loose on his face as he put on the helmet. With a wave farewell the leather clad man was off into the starry night. Natalie waved back meekly even though her boss will never see it.

Her hand slowly fell down to her side, clenching into a soft fist. Pale blue eyes screwed shut in a wince, Natalie shook her head in disappointment.

"You fool," she mumbled to the long gone Gabriel. "This is the exact opposite of all we worked for. To rid us of the umbrella that poisoned us for so long, to protect Emilie and Adrien from our past."

Natalie felt in her pocket for something and pulled out a little key chain of a black cat with big blue eyes. She held it over her heart as she stared solemnly up to the concrete ceiling. 

"Adrien...where are you?"


End file.
